Paul Sullivan of the Tribune makes a great point when he says this year’s Cubs team is “not good enough to capture our attention completely, and not bad enough to ignore totally.” Such is life for most rebuilding teams. But he provides a fantastic service today in telling Cubs fans what they should pay attention to and what they shouldn’t.

… Tune out: When the Budweiser patio is shown. The proliferation of patios in the Wrigley renovation suggests ownership enjoys promoting the idea of fans talking on cell phones and not paying attention to the product on the field.

And so-on.

Maybe Cubs fans know this stuff, but it’s actually pretty handy for non-Cubs fans who like to flip around the dial and take in games from random teams. Because really, there are very few truly unwatchable baseball teams. The hard part is just knowing when to watch.

There are only 3 players on the team who would start on any other MLB squad: Rizzo, Castro, and Samardzijiaza or whatever the hell his name is. Notre Dame! The rest of the bunch is dross, which can make for entertaining chaos, but mostly it’s the same result as before, no matter if they’re trotting out Grace, Sandberg, and Dawson, or Rizzo, Castro, and the Misfits. My own personal faves are watching Travis Wood *pinch-run* because it turns out that he’s a hell of a runner, and seeing Cubs fans take a piss at Soriano even though he’s been the team’s best hitter overall for his career with them. All-time Cubs Great, as low as that bar has to be? No. But is he better than that team deserves? Heck yeah.

As for the talking on cell phones and yammering ignorantly through games – it isn’t the fans, Peter, it’s the team. When the Cubs came to town last year, the 3-game set was distinguished by a loud buzz throughout the park, very different from any other NL series I attended. The fact seems to be that NOBODY wants to watch the Cubs play baseball, but rather take 3 hours to get some sun, drink a beer, and chat with some new friends. In other words, when the Cubs are playing, it’s like being at a AAA game in terms of the players on the field and the vibe in the stands. It just is what it is. If the team ever plays a meaningful game, folks will shut up and watch, be they in the Budweiser patio or the first row.

I use my phone to take notes and photos of the game. I almost always have MLB At Bat open to view the pFX location of specific pitches or check on other games happening around the league. And yes, I text people and check twitter during games. This is how I enjoy baseball. Why should people have to abide by your stupid rule?

Oh man, people were having conversations and fiddling with phones near you? That must’ve been horrible. I hope you’re ok. G-d forbid anyone enjoy the ballpark experience differently than you. And I didn’t realize that people using cell phones meant that you couldn’t see the game. You sound like a real treat.

Hard to believe just how few big-league stars have come up through the Cubs farm system over the past decade, considering they’ve basically been drafting in the top 5 or better every year. You’d think they’d almost HAVE to accidentally draft someone decent. But sadly, no. These are the Cubs, after all.